Selby MP Raises Hopes For Ex-Miners Fuel Allowance

Selby's MP Nigel Adams says he is hoping for an announcement on returning free coal to former miners before Christmas.

Hopes were raised yesterday as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne praised Selby MP for leading the campaign to restore the free coal allowance to retired ex miners and their widows.

In the House of Commons, Nigel Adams condemned UK Coal’s decision to stop providing the concessionary fuel allowance to miners who had retired after the National Coal Board’s privatisation in 1994 as “callous” and asked the Chancellor to step in and provide “some comfort to the pensioners who are potentially facing fuel poverty this winter”.

Approximately 1800 miners across the country, and many who live in Selby, have lost out on free coal for life and a cut in their pensions since UK Coal went into administration in July.

Nigel Adams, who comes from a family of coal miners, led a delegation of Conservative MP’s to see the Chancellor last month to ask if the Government could step in and restore the coal benefit to pensioners and their dependents.

Responding to Nigel Adams request in the Chamber, George Osborne congratulated him on leading the campaign with the Treasury to restore the concessionary fuel allowance and said that he would look into it personally and hopefully get back to Mr Adams with “good news soon”.

Nigel Adams MP said, “I am very grateful to George Osborne for personally promising to do what he can to look into restoring the free coal to hard pressed pensioners and his promise of ‘good news soon’ is very encouraging.